Birthday

52 Things I’ve learned in 52 Years

It doesn’t matter if popcorn does sometimes get stuck in my teeth requiring a dental visit to remove it, I’m not giving up popcorn.

Don’t tell people, show them.

Happiness is a function of what I pay attention to.

Millennials are much more fun to hang around than my generation.

If you don’t know anything about sailboats, don’t rely on a book to tell you how to inspect it, hire someone, it’s worth the money.

There is a visceral reward to a paper book that’s lost for me with an e-reader.

Whatever it is, let it go.

Bloodlust rules the American criminal justice system.

Some people become an expert on everything the minute they sign onto Facebook.

Opposing counsel isn’t always the enemy.

The phrase “Not my monkeys, not my circus” care spare one a lot of heartache.

Regular oil changes greatly reduce the maintenance costs and extend the life of a car.

Let others create their own story.

The civil jury trial is disappearing.

My friends from my 20’s who have remained in my life are one of life’s most precious gifts.

It’s impossible to conduct a public prayer in a secular organization that doesn’t leave someone feeling marginalized.

Boats and airplanes are magical devices that give us a new perspective on the world.

When you reduce someone to a single dimension, you miss the opportunity to see the whole person and the divinity that exists within them.

It is cruel how people stand in judgment of how the poor bear their burdens.

Next time you start to denigrate lawyers, remember that your civil rights only exist because somewhere there’s a trial lawyer who fought to have that right recognized and is ready to stand by your side again when that right is threatened.

Train travel is much better than air, except when crossing oceans.

The Chautauqua Institution Bookstore is a gem that’s way better than Amazon.

Television robs us of the moments of our lives.

The American experiment with universal suffrage doesn’t seem to be going so well right now.

Robots may put us all out of work in a generation.

Women don’t escape misogyny by being educated or in a professional career and often suffer as much from other women as they do from men.

History will regard the drug war and overuse of incarceration as one of the great human-rights violations of our time.

Exploring the world with my dog keeps me sane.

Used sparingly and at the proper time, augmented chords really bring life to a tune.

I once took the shoes off young man before taking him to the morgue after he’d been killed in a car accident. Remember, you never know who may be taking off your shoes tonight. There are no guarantees.

If you see duct tape on sale, buy it. You can never have too much.

Sobriety is a gift that not everyone gets to experience.

Forgive for your sake, even if you think the other person doesn’t deserve it.

I’ve only begun to explore the cooking potential of rice.

It’s true that people will sometimes disappoint you, but remember sometimes you drop the ball too.

Great songs are really just stories.

Not everyone sees new prayer books as an improvement.

You can reduce your stress level by simply ignoring the news.

Blaze Pizza is the coolest thing to happen in food in years.

Truth, even when messy, is compelling.

Fail quickly, learn the lesson, move on.

We’re much more adaptable than we realize.

The words “Uncle David” are music to my ears.

Someday, Walmart will go the way of W.T. Grant, Montgomery Ward, Zayre, and Woolworths.

Great comedy lets us acknowledge the uncomfortable truths about life and the world.

No matter how many hats I own, there’s always one special one that calls to me more than all the others.

I simply cannot watch the ending of “Marley and Me” ever again.

You can’t sail upwind with a genoa (a type of sail) that doesn’t fit your boat no matter how hard you try.